Marvel Legends Review: Marvel Studios Tony Stark And Mark 1

Hasbro releasing a Marvel Legends Tony Stark for their Marvel Studios: First Ten Years line is a big deal for me since I never got the one that came with the comic subscription.

But, dang it took a long time for this 2-pack to come out! Then, when it did show up on Walmart’s site, there was either a big fat out-of-stock or no longer available message next to the image.

Whether they were selling out that fast or if it was a glitch in the site is a mystery to me, but it took three days before the add to cart button appeared. I shouldn’t complain, though, because the shipping was fast (and free!). I placed my order on Thursday and was unboxing them that Saturday.

So, without further ado, let me introduce Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years Tony Stark and Mark 1.

Before we start, I should warn you that criticizing these figures won’t be easy. But, for the sake of honesty, I swear to put aside my bias and point out both the good and bad points (but mostly the good because I am biased😉).

The Box:

Tony Stark and Mark 1 come boxed in the new Marvel Studios: First Ten Years box packaging.

There is a large window at the front along with the names of the figures. Written at the top is Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years, and at the bottom is the name and logo of the Iron Man movie.

On the back of the box is a prominent number ONE telling us this is the first set in the Marvel Studios series. There are also pictures and bios of Tony Stark and Mark 1 and a miniature promotional poster from the film.

There is a brief description of the film on the left side of the box, and on the right are more images from the MCU because, if you recall, these figures have unique boxes that will create a collage when lined up.

A closer look at the pictures on the box.

Here is a quick look at the boxes I have so far.

Since Tony Stark and Mark 1 are the first figures in the series and Iron Man Mark VII is the third, the screenshots don’t line up. The Red Skull is number two, and I’ll have to get him before my boxes create a perfect picture. Hopefully, though, this gives a vague idea of how the boxes would look once placed in a row.

Now, let’s get Tony Stark and Mark 1 out of the box!

Meet Tony Stark:

“Tony Stark. Visionary. Genius. American patriot…”

Before buying this set, I’d heard chatter saying this Tony was the same one given away with the comic subscription, and most agree that version looks nothing like Tony Stark. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found Hasbro had updated his face using their facial printing technology (I believe it’s called Photo Real).

As I mentioned in a previous review (the Marvel Studios: First Ten Years Iron Man Mark VII), Hasbro is constantly tweaking how they scan and paint their figures to make them more realistic. Granted, it’s not a Hot Toys likeness, but it’s not bad.

This isn’t very fair since Hot Toys are practically miniaturized versions of the actors, but I don’t think the Marvel Studios Tony looks horrible standing next to Hot Toys Tony. Both look like Tony Stark to me—but maybe that’s my bias rearing its ugly head?

Setting aside how closely he resembles the real Tony Stark, the paint job and sculpting on this figure is excellent. I’ve scoured him over looking for flaws and can honestly say this particular figure doesn’t have a single defect.

A closer look at Tony Stark.

Tony is wearing a highly detailed navy suit with a white shirt and navy tie. There are folds and creases in his sleeves and pants and the jacket has buttons and pockets molded on it.

His jacket is removable. This might come in handy if you like customizing your figures (like if you wanted Tony to have a black suit instead of navy).

How Well Does He Pose?

I’m not going to lie to you. The Marvel Studios figures excel in aesthetics, not articulation. That doesn’t mean they are badly articulated. Heavens no! It just means that Tony can’t hang upside down like my Iron Spider.

Tony Stark can turn is head to look both left and right. He can also tilt it up and down, but the upward tilt is minimal.

His shoulders lift up, and his arms swing to the front and back. He also has a swivel cut in his upper-arm and my favorite double-jointed elbows.

Tony has a hinge at each wrist and can tilt his hands up, down, and rotate them around.

His wrists were quite stiff at first. In fact, I thought they were stationary because they wouldn’t move! However, once I began working them back and forth, they loosened up. Even though it took some effort to get them moving, I prefer tight joints over sloppy ones, so the stiffness doesn’t bother me.

I really like the shape of his hands. His right hand is partly closed, and it’s easy to pose him with tools and make it look like he is working on a new armor or something.

Just so you know, Tony is holding that screwdriver on his own. No tricks!

Tony has an ab-crunch at his chest and a swivel joint above his belt allowing him to tilt and turn his upper body.

Tony can spread his legs to the side. It’s not much, but I doubt Mr. Stark does a ton of side-splits, so I’m not overly concerned (whoops, my favoritism is creeping in again! His legs lift forward pretty good, but his backward kick needs help.

His legs rotate around thanks to a cut in his upper legs, and he has those awesome double-jointed knees.

Lastly, we have his ankle articulation. He can tilt his toes up and down and that’s it. No ankle pivot and the upward tilt is small.

Although he doesn’t have a plethora of joints, Tony Stark’s articulation isn’t awful. I had no trouble getting him to stand on his own and posing him for these pictures.

Meet Mark 1:

This is it folks: The famous Mark 1–Tony’s first armor. True, he’s not as fancy as younger brothers, but let’s not be too quick to judge because, as we all know, this suit was built in a cave…with a box of scraps.

A Quick History Of Mark 1:

Mark 1 is a clunky mix of military equipment. When the Ten Rings capture Tony Stark, Raza (their leader) promises to free him if builds them a Jericho missile. However, this was an empty promise and Tony knew it. So, Tony and Ho Yinsen (the man who saves Tony’s life by implanting an electromagnet in his chest) begin building something–but not what Raza expects. Instead of a missile, they use parts from various weapons and equipment to create a miniaturized arc reactor.

Up to this point, the electromagnet in Tony’s chest was being powered by a car battery. The arc reactor, though, had enough energy for Tony to run his heart for 50 lifetimes–or something big for 15 minutes.

Tony tells Yinsen he won’t use the new reactor to run his heart. Instead, he intends to use it to power a suit of armor–the Mark 1. Using his own weapons, Stark builds the Mark 1 and blasts through the Ten Rings fortress.

Needless to say, Mark 1 is primitive. Jarvis wasn’t there to give advice and Dum-E wasn’t there to help. This armor was made with nothing more than Tony’s wit and will.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Hasbro’s rendition of the first Iron Man armor.

Those who had already seen this set noted that Mark 1 is a reused figure. Like with Tony Stark, though, I never got that figure. So, I would’ve been happy with Mark 1 even if he was nothing more than a good-looking paperweight. Thankfully, he’s better than that.

Mark 1 has a beautiful paint job and details that Iron Man fans will love. Numbers and letters are printed on the chest plate (probably identification numbers from a piece of equipment). There are also splashes of green and mustard paint on his arms, mid-section, and legs. Then, to top it off, Mark 1 has a brown wash painted over him making the metal look worn and rusted.

If you look closely, you can see cogs, belts, chain, wires, and gears, sculpted all over the armor. In my opinion, tiny details like this bring an incredible amount of realism to these a six-inch figure, and I love seeing them on the Mark 1.

The one flaw I must point out is the figure’s scale. Mark 1 is too short, and his helmet is too small. There is no way Tony Stark is getting his head in there.

Personally, I would have made Mark 1 a little bigger, like somewhere between the size of the Marvel Studios Mark VII and Hulkbuster armor.

How Well Does He Pose?

Mark 1 is a bare bones suit and, therefore, has basic articulation.

His helmet sits on a large, stub-looking peg which only lets him turn his head. He cannot tilt it up or down at all.

His shoulders lift up fairly well, but his elbows and wrists are a different story. The elbow has a regular hinge (no double-joint) and his wrists are stationary. They don’t turn or tilt.

Because Mark 1 is so bulky, his elbows don’t bend very far. This is how they look when bent to the max.

Mark 1 has a joint at his “waist” and can twist his upper body to the left and right.

He can spread his legs apart pretty well, and his front to back splits aren’t bad. His knees, however, can’t bend very far before the plates above the hinge collide with the ones beneath.

Mark 1 can tilt his feet up and down (mostly down), but they do not pivot.

There’s no denying the Mark I isn’t as poseable as, say, the Legends Mark 50 or Mark VII. I think Hasbro may have sacrificed on articulation to create an authentic looking figure, and I’m okay with this. While I love highly articulated figures, I prefer movie-accuracy.

Accessories:

This set comes with one tiny accessory: A fireball.

It’s not much, and I don’t think anyone would’ve missed it had Hasbro left it out. The flame goes inside the flamethrower on Mark 1’s left hand. When you pull back and let go, it shoots out.

It’s okay, but I probably would’ve chosen a different accessory, like a pair of sunglasses for Tony😎.

Final Thoughts:

I paid about $50 for the Marvel Studios Tony Stark and Mark 1. Were they worth it?

Heck yeah!

Do they have the best articulation? No. But they are quality figures, and I think Hasbro did a wonderful job capturing the likeness of both Tony Stark and Mark 1.

Not sure you can trust me? I understand (I am the self-proclaimed Iron Man gal after all😉). Even so, I feel safe giving them my hearty approval because I know I’m not the only one loving these new figures. I’ve heard great things about the entire First Ten Years line from other reviewers on both YouTube and forums.

I hope Hasbro continues honoring our favorite MCU movies with more figures like these and think they might. The series seems popular. Right now, the Tony Stark and Mark 1 two-pack is a best seller on Walmart, and the three pack with Pepper Potts, Mark 22, and the Mandarin has been out of stock on Amazon for weeks (I knew I should’ve pre-ordered it😒)!

Well, folks, I hope you had fun checking out Tony Stark and Mark 1 with me. Hopefully, you all don’t mind humoring my Marvel side. I promise more dolly stuff is coming soon though. Also, this Iron Man 2-pack is available on Walmart’s website (it’s a Walmart exclusive) if you’d like to get it.